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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Announcing a New Master's Program in Scholastic Philosophy (Institute Catholique de Toulouse)

Fr. Serge-Thomas Bonino, O.P. (General Secretary of the International Theological Commission) and the Dominicans over at the Institute Catholique de Toulouse are joining the efforts of the Institut Saint Thomas d'Aquin, the Revue thomiste, and the Studium du Couvent Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, in order to create what seems to be a promising new master's program in Scholastic Philosophy(in French "Master actualité de la philosophie scolastique," in Latin, Licentia docendi philosophiae scholasticae), an ecclesiastical philosophy degree granted by the Institut Catholique de Toulouse. The program clearly aims to be faithful to the tradition of Scholastic Thomism. The program is expected to open in September of this year.

This is very exciting news. As many readers of Ite ad Thomam are aware, in the last fifty years or so, Thomists in general have abandoned the use of St. Thomas' own method (the scholastic method) and have turned to other, usually modern methodologies (historical, analytical, etc.) to present the doctrines of the Angelic Doctor. Sadly, except for the few isolated attempts of a few scholars here at IAT and elsewhere, there are no traditional (or scholastic) Thomists anymore. This program could go a long way towards the restoration of our school of thought.

Could this program at Toulouse be the first graduate degree program since the last Council that seeks to restore scholastic Thomism? Although the site and the brochure (which I obtained privately and does not seem to be available online) do not say anything explicit on the use of the scholastic method in the classroom, the brochure does speak of the use of an orderly methodology in each discipline ("En avançant avec méthode dans chaque discipline les étudiants acquièrent une vision organisée et cohérente de la réalité").

The coursework is two years long, and it includes courses in logic, natural philosophy, philosophical psychology, ethics, politics, metaphysics, the history of philosophy, methodology, and sacred theology (STL courses from the Institut Saint Thomas d'Aquin).

MASTER ACTUALITÉ

Although the program is clearly not governed exclusively by traditional Catholic principles, at the very least, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

The program also features a few interesting names among its faculty. Bonino is, of course, the most eminent Thomist among the professors. And although he cannot quite be catalogued as a scholastic Thomist (he is more of a historical Thomist), Bonino is nonetheless convinced that "the massive rejection of the 'commentators' by mid-20th century Thomism" is not at all a good thing. His historical research on some of the chief members of the tradition of scholastic Thomismhas done much to promote the restoration of scholastic thought. But it is noteworthy that, in addition to Bonino, two traditional Catholic professors are listed as faculty members, namely, Stéphane Agullo and Bruno Couillaud, both of which also teach at the seminary of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (the latter also teaches at the FSSP seminary in Wigratzbad). For us traditional Catholics, this is a very good sign.

Dare we hope that one such theology program be developed in the near future?